Professional insight from University of Westminster

University of Westminster is a London university with global energy. It is one of the most diverse universities in the UK attracting more than 19,000 students from over 160 nations. Established as London's first polytechnic in 1838, it has always thrived on providing education for all, regardless of background.

University of Westminster

Two female students study together

What I learned about South Asian women when we built a space for them

Instead of building broad-spectrum equity programmes and hoping for the best, what about a more tailored approach? Sobia Razzaq explains how a careers programme tailored to final-year students from South Asian backgrounds helped them find confidence and community

Sobia Razzaq

University of Westminster

An octopus

An octopus with three hearts: how to approach PhD supervision

Instead of thinking of PhD supervision as a fixed method, be aware that it flows and changes. These four principles can help nurture a flexible and adaptive journey to a PhD

Setenay Dilek Fidler

University of Westminster

Students work on a project round a table

Make employability meaningful: developing soft skills with social justice work

The growing demand for students to gain workplace skills could see employability crudely bolted on to existing courses. But partnering with charities and social justice organisations can make it more meaningful – here’s how

Jac St John, Naomi Oppenheim

University of Westminster

A journalist interviews a man in a raincoat

It’s up to universities to embed climate literacy in the next generation of journalists

With the climate crisis intensifying, the media’s role in informing the public will be critical. Here’s how to equip journalism and media students with the tools to do so

Doug Specht, Anastasia Denisova, Morgan Lirette

University of Westminster

A robot hand holds a lightbulb

Does GenAI provide the opportunity for creativity to take centre stage?

With GenAI, routine skills are on tap – creativity should now be a core literacy. Ioannis Glinavos explores what that means for higher education

Ioannis Glinavos

University of Westminster

A man sits in darkness, illuminated by a smartphone that blocks his face from view

Four questions to ask to detect false news online

Even those working in higher education can fall for misinformation. Ask these four questions to get better at zeroing in on false news

Peter Cunliffe-Jones

University of Westminster

Four jigsaw puzzle pieces display a mortarbord

Five tips when embedding gamification in the classroom

Gamification and game-based learning can centre students in the learning experience and improve university enrolment rates. Here’s how to get started

Gustavo Espinoza Ramos , Gunter Saunders

University of Westminster

Two women laugh together over a notebook

Business schools should go beyond the classroom for social impact

To meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals, business schools should consider hands-on community projects which also boost students' employability and give them a sense of purpose

Sobia Razzaq , Kumari Juddoo , Sheeja Sivaprasad , Sudha Mathew

University of Westminster

Students respectfully debate an issue in the classroom

Don’t fear conflict in the classroom: foster respectful discussion instead

How do we have meaningful conversations about divisive topics, while dealing with the emotions these debates may spark? Lea Sitkin outlines several strategies to give students the space to explore issues they care about

Lea Sitkin

University of Westminster

Lit candles in a darkened room

How inclusive design can transform student well-being: a spiritual perspective

Integrate the sacred into the secular by making interfaith spaces inclusive for all. Here’s how

Yusuf Kaplan

University of Westminster

The UK Supreme Court building

‘We need to be united, confident and proud of who we are’: thoughts on the Supreme Court ruling

How can universities support gender-non-conforming members of their communities in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman?

Pippa Catterall

University of Westminster

Two people interview a candidate, just out of shot

Prepare your students for the job market: part two

In the second part of this two-part series, find out how to coach your students to excel in interviews, from pre-meeting prep to a perfect thank you message

Julio Gimenez, Juan C. Palmer, Miguel F. Ruiz-Garrido

University of Westminster, Universitat Jaume I

Fingers typing at a keyboard

Prepare your students for the job market: part one

How can you guide your students to make themselves stand out in a crowded field? In the first of a two-part series, discover six strategies to hone job applications to perfection

Julio Gimenez, Juan C. Palmer, Miguel F. Ruiz-Garrido

University of Westminster, Universitat Jaume I

Managers work at their computers

The power of short courses in transforming the workplace

What started out as a business research project into low productivity became a commercially successful short course. Perhaps it’s time to think outside the box and respond to what businesses need

Richard Saundry

University of Westminster

Webinar image

Campus webinar: Prepare students with workplace skills of the future

Find out how to prepare students for jobs that don’t exist yet, with insight from experts at Campus+ institutions across the Middle East, Africa and Europe

Deborah Bartlett, Julio Gimenez, Rushana Khusainova, Abdelmoniem Sahal Elmardi

Al Akhawayn University, University of Westminster, The University of Bristol, Dubai Medical University

A hand places a wooden block atop three others

Are module leaders missing out on professional development?

Let’s support module leaders with effective and engaging training opportunities. Here are five ways to do it

Gustavo Espinoza Ramos , Louis Spring

University of Westminster

A laptop screen with many different storage drawers opening

Is collaboration the key to digital accessibility?

Digital accessibility is ethically important, and a legal requirement, but it’s also a lot of work. Here’s how universities can collaborate and pool their expertise to make higher education accessible for all

Sal Jarvis, George Rhodes

University of Westminster

Hands type on a laptop

Anatomy of an academic book proposal

Pitch your book to publishers with an irresistible proposal. Here are all the elements you’ll need

Richard Baggaley

University of Westminster

A woman gives a talk to a room of colleagues

A practical guide to better public speaking: part two

The second in a two-part series, here’s how to hone your public speaking skills, using the three Cs

Anna Christodoulou

University of Westminster

A speaker stands at a lectern with a microphone

A practical guide to better public speaking: part one

Getting through long, not-so-interesting talks is a common experience in academia. But if we all agree it can be done better, how can we start delivering better presentations?

Anna Christodoulou

University of Westminster

A professor helps a student in class

Five ways coaching can improve the university experience of Black students

The ethnicity awarding gap continues to be an issue in UK universities, especially for Black students. Could coaching be the answer?

Yaz Osho

University of Westminster

An educator comforts a distressed student

Let’s embrace compassionate pedagogy for a more humane academy

How can we bridge the compassion gaps in the day-to-day experiences of students and staff in higher education? Kathryn Waddington and Bryan Bonaparte offer their solutions – and warn of the challenges we’re still facing

Kathryn Waddington, Bryan Bonaparte

University of Westminster

Westminster Regent Street welcome sign

Unlock the benefits of multilingualism in higher education

To create inclusive campuses, we need to embrace multilingualism. Here’s how the Multilingual University project helped celebrate linguistic diversity and fostered a sense of belonging

Katherine Mansfield, Julio Gimenez

University of Westminster

A group of business students brainstorming on bean bags

Empower the next generation with an inclusive approach to enterprise education

How to enable all our students, especially those from under-represented communities, to become entrepreneurs

Paul Dwyer

University of Westminster

Two hands fit jigsaw puzzle pieces together

How to achieve interdisciplinary research? Focus on the people

Restructuring research domains around four communities allowed academics to find their natural home, writes Andrew Linn. Here’s how to do it

Andrew Linn

University of Westminster

Students talk to their teacher round a table

Five tips for blended learning design

Blended learning has become more prevalent in higher education in the past few years. But what do students think about it? A students-as-co-creators project found out

Gustavo Espinoza Ramos , Setenay Dilek Fidler, Mahima Singh, Drilena Ukperaj

University of Westminster

A robot hand dangles a businessman above a wastepaper bin

How your graduates can beat AI in the job market of tomorrow

Your students are facing a competition against a faster, better and cheaper opponent in 2025’s job market – AI. Ioannis Glinavos offers his advice on prepping them for the fight

Ioannis Glinavos

University of Westminster

A robot hand takes a survey using emoji faces

How AI can revolutionise the way we analyse student surveys

Student surveys provide a potential goldmine of data. Kirsty Bryant suggests deploying AI to maximise your insight

Kirsty Bryant

University of Westminster

A woman walks along a path in a grassy meadow

How to clear the path for the next generation of women in academia

The women who come next shouldn’t have to break down barriers or sneak in the back door to succeed in higher education. Sal Jarvis outlines what she wants her legacy to be

Sal Jarvis

University of Westminster

A male and female figure stand atop piles of coins, with the male figure's pile higher

Why have higher education’s female leaders had to wait so long for equal pay?

The higher education sector’s gender pay gap stands at 14.8 per cent, three percentage points higher than the UK as a whole. Janet Jones asks why and what we can do about it

Janet Jones

University of Westminster

Diversity concept

Celebrate Black History Year and tackle racial inequality all year long

Instead of consigning the recognition of Black histories to one single month, Deborah Husbands, Stephen Bunbury and Dibyesh Anand advocate for a Black History Year

Deborah Husbands , Stephen Bunbury, Dibyesh Anand

University of Westminster

A range of international flags, shot from below

Four key hurdles international students face – and what to do about them

How can we make international students’ academic journey a positive one? Katherine Mansfield suggests ways to alleviate their social, academic and language challenges

Katherine Mansfield

University of Westminster

Long covid academic while working from home

How to be an ally and support colleagues suffering from long Covid

Universities and employees are still learning about long Covid and how to deal with it, meaning it’s even more important to offer help and reasonable adjustments

Damien Ridge, Ana Leite, Nisreen Alwan

University of Westminster, Durham University , University of Southampton

People in balance

What can we do about the diversity problem in economics?

A group of economists offer five ideas on how to allow and encourage wider access to economics degrees – which is crucial to making the discipline more effective

Amrit Amirapu, Amanda Gosling, Emma Gorman

University of Kent, University of Westminster

Amazing university teacher

What is an authentic teacher and how can you become one?

Three tips identified by students that will help you develop an honest, strong relationship with students and become a more authentic teacher

Setenay Dilek Fidler, Gustavo Espinoza Ramos

University of Westminster

Online academic research with Google Scholar

Three ways to make the most of Google Scholar’s ExCITATION plug-in

Luca Cacciolatti explains how to use Google’s ExCITATION journal-ranking tool, which can help researchers quickly identify relevant and high-quality sources

Luca Cacciolatti

University of Westminster

Career ladder and senior fellowship in academia

Senior fellowship: three tips that will help your application

Gustavo Espinoza Ramos explains the importance of applying for a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and gives tips on how to be successful in this process

Gustavo Espinoza Ramos

University of Westminster

Anti-racist ally on university campus

How to be an anti-racist ally on the university campus

Three academics from the University of Westminster provide practical advice on ensuring allyship is taken seriously in higher education institutions

Stephen Bunbury, Deborah Husbands , Dibyesh Anand

University of Westminster

Black allyship in academia

Backing Black scholars: here’s how universities can do better

Yaz Osho offers nine ways that HEIs can start chipping away at the structural disadvantages and institutional practices that negatively impact Black scholars

Yaz Osho

University of Westminster

Penalising students who struggle with the flipped classroom doesn't help

How to get students to play their part in the flipped classroom

The flipped classroom is the perfect pedagogy for the information age – but our classes must not punish students who struggle to engage when learning independently

Doug Specht, Gunter Saunders

University of Westminster

Foundation students moving on up at university

It’s time to end the negative narratives surrounding foundation students

Foundation students are often seen as somehow lacking, but we can challenge the stereotypes around their knowledge and backgrounds to force positive change

Christina Delistathi

University of Westminster

Metal chain showing resilience

Techniques for managing and learning from failure in academia

Failure in academia does not have to be entirely negative – it can provide an opportunity to grow, build resilience and is an essential part of the self-improvement process

Gustavo Espinoza Ramos

University of Westminster

Student happiness versus student satisfaction

Should we be aiming for student happiness or student satisfaction?

Happiness and satisfaction are two sides of the same coin, but crucial differences exist between them – and one serves our students far better, says Doug Specht

Doug Specht

University of Westminster

Ticking time bomb of trauma

Knowledge and approaches needed for trauma-informed teaching

What steps can be taken to minimise trauma in the classroom? Marc Mason explains how it works and presents itself

Marc Mason

University of Westminster

Illustration of mentoring tree of lightbulbs

Career mentoring can support student employability

Support for students extends beyond the classroom. Here’s how to develop a successful mentoring programme to help students take their first steps into the workplace

Zurria Qureshi

University of Westminster

Worldwide teaching tips

International perspectives on teaching and learning forged during Covid

Academics from around the globe share practical advice and lessons learned for those teaching online now or in future turbulent times

Katherine Mansfield

University of Westminster

Information overload for new university student

Five tips for showing compassion towards and supporting new students

The step up from secondary to tertiary education can be daunting. Katherine Mansfield explains how to arm your students with the knowledge they need to succeed

Katherine Mansfield

University of Westminster

How universities should tackle EDI and anti-racism work

How to support EDI work at departmental and institutional level

Yaz Osho explains how universities can translate a stated commitment to EDI and anti-racist work into practical, operational delivery

Yaz Osho

University of Westminster

University student staying in bed and disengaging

Are your first-year students disengaging? Here’s how to get them back on board

From creating distinct spaces on your VLE to discuss first-year study to checking in with absentees, Katherine Mansfield provides tips for re-engaging students

Katherine Mansfield

University of Westminster

An academic tracking their research metrics based on online data and citations

Making research metrics work for you, part one

An introduction to individual research metrics and how to discover how your own profile and data are represented online, in part one of Ioannis Glinavos’ advice on managing metrics

Ioannis Glinavos

University of Westminster